5 



6,2.1 



./Mi 



Series IX, Quarterly. 



No. 6, February, 1910 



S 621 
.M2 
Copy 1 



1 * * o «„ 



Bulletin of the University of 




Drainage of Farm Lands 



A. B. McDaniel, Professor of Civil Engineering 
University of South Dakota 







Published by 

THE UNIVERSITY 

Vermillion, S. D. 
-aph 



^v 



INTRODUCTION. 

Throughout the eastern section of this State there is a grow- 
ing demand for serviceable information concerning the drainage 
of farm lands. This bulletin is prepared to meet this demand, 
and to show the benefits to be derived from drainage ; also the 
best methods and the cost of such work. It is hoped that the 
presentation of this simple and limited exposition of such an ex- 
tensive subject, may be of service in the reclamation of the great 
areas of wet lands, now existent in this State. 

On account of limited space, this bulletin will describe the 
construction of drainage outlets. A later bulletin will describe 
the theory and practice of tile drainage. 

The author wishes to thank the following manufacturers of 
dredging machinery for photographs from which some of the fol- 
lowing illustrations were made, and also for other valuable in- 
formation : The Bucyrus Company, of South Milwaukee, Wis. ; 
The F. C. Austin Drainage Excavator Company, of Chicago, 111., 
and The Browning Manufacturing Company, of Cleveland, Ohio. 

The attention of the reader is called to the diagram of the 
South Dakota drainage law. It is thought that this diagram will 
be of value to those seeking information on the legal procedure 
necessary to secure the construction of outlet drains and their 
sub-drains. 



DRAINAGE EEQUIRED. 

The eastern half of the State of South Dakota, comprising 
the territory east of the Missouri river, was covered in the glacial 
period by a great sheet of ice. Gradually this ice moved south- 
ward, scouring and moulding the surface of the country as it 
passed along. The melting of the ice along the edges of this 
great glacier formed the valleys of the Missouri and the Sioux 
rivers. Thus, as a result of this great primeval force, we have a 
comparatively level area ; traversed by the great river valleys of 
the James and Vermillion rivers. Upon close inspection, we find 
a large number of basins scattered over this area, and of an in- 
finite variety as to size and shape; from tin 1 small "pot-holes" 
or basins, found all over this section of the State, and especially 
in i1s southern part, to the large lakes of Kingsbury and Coding- 
ton counties. 

During the seasons of melting snow and continued rainfall, 
occurring from early spring to early summer of each year, these 
basins are filled with water draining down from the neighboring 
watersheds. Not having any outlet, this water remains on the 
land until removed by evaporation or below the surface by the 
lowering of the water table of the sub-surface water. Thus are 
formed the great areas of swam]) and marsh land, of which about 
400,000 acres remain undrained. The deposition, for untold cen- 
turies, of silt and vegetable matter upon this low wet land, ren- 
ders it highly fertile, and it only remains for suitable drainage to 
bring it under continuous cultivation. 

The necessity and value of drainage are becoming better un- 
derstood by both practical farmers and non-resident land owners, 
as time goes on. The up-to-date farmer realizes that it is an im- 
portant element of scientific agriculture, and is making use of it 
to obtain the best results from land not possessing natural drain- 
age. To properly construct an effieient drainage system, the pro- 
gressive farmer desires to know how to plan for and carry out 
the work so that the cost will he well within the returns, which 
may be expected from the improvement. To this end. it is neces- 
sary that he have a clear and intelligent idea of the theory and 
practice of drainage. 



DRAINAGE OF FARM LANDS — M'DANIEL. 3 

THEORY OF DRAINAGE. 

The soil is made up of very small particles of irregular 
shapes, varying size and different characteristics. These parti- 
cles do not lie together so as to form a solid mass, hut are sepa- 
rated by spaces, which in an ordinary soil, equal nearly one-half 
the volume. When water falls upon the surface, that which does 
not immediately run off, starts to percolate down through these 
spaces in the soil. This water descends until it meets the surface 
of the underground water, whose level it raises, unless some 
method of drainage is at hand to remove the surplus as it is added. 
When sufficient water has heen added in this way. the level 
of the water table will rise above the surface and form a marsh, 
slough or lake. A soil whose intervening spaces are filled with 
water, is called a saturated or very wet soil. It is worthless ex- 
cept for the growth of aquatic plants. Now, if a means be pro- 
vided for the removal of this water, such as by sub-soil or under- 
ground drainage, the water will move downwards through the 
spaces by the action of gravity. This will continue as long as the 
drainage acts to carry off the surplus water. A point will be 
reached usually near the level of the bottom of the drain, where 
the downward movement of the water will cease, and the new 
water table be established. As the water descends through the 
soil, a certain amount, usually about twenty per cent of all the 
water, remains behind and collects as a film over the surface of 
the particles of the soil. This water is called capillary water from 
the force which causes it. It furnishes the moisture necessary for 
the growth of vegetation and the proper production of plant 
food. The remaining space in the soil, not occupied by this use- 
ful water, is taken up by air, which is a vital element in the gen- 
eration and propagation of vegetable life. Thus, since it is known 
that vegetation takes its nourishment from the soil in liquid 
form, a surplus of water in the soil will exclude the air, reduce 
the temperature, dilute the plant food and either retard or stop 
the growth of the plants. 

In the western part of the State is often found an open, por- 
ous sub-soil of such nature that it gives free passage to the move- 
ment of surplus water, and thus natural drainage is provided. 
However, in the eastern section of the State, the sub-soil is usually 



4 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA. 

composed of a mixture of loam and clay underlaid with a fine 
clay, which is of a very retentive character and passes through 
very slowly, the gravity water coming from direct rainfall or by 
seepage from lands at a higher elevation. It is the purpose of 
artificial drainage to remove this excess gravity water and to 
thus provide the necessary air space in the soil to accompany the 
moisture remaining as suitable nourishment for the vegetation. 

SURFACE AND SUB-SURFACE DRAINAGE. 

The drainage of a soil may be effected in two ways: (a) 
surface drainage; (b) sub-surface drainage. 

Surface drainage comprises the removal of surplus water 
from the surface of the land by means of open channels or ditches. 
These ditches, however, if of sufficient depth, may afford 
drainage for the sub-surface water and thus do double duty and 
be of greater value. 

Sub-surface or under-drainage, consists in the removal of 
surplus gravity or sub-surface water by means of underground 
conduits, such as drain tile. The advantage and benefits to be 
derived from under-drainage are as follows : 

(1) The retention on and near the surface of the fine, rich 
soil carried in solution by the water. 

(2) The carriage into and through the soil of fertilizing 
material, valuable to the nourishment of the roots of plants. 

(3) The rendering of the soil more porous, open and work- 
able, thus adding to its nourishing power and accessibility for 
root penetration. 

(4) The soil is always ready for cultivation during the 
growing season and very responsive and productive as a result 
of such cultivation. 

(5) The thawing out of the ground earlier in the spring 
and the advancement of the planting season thereby. 

(6) The enriching of the surface soil and the addition of 
sub-surface nourishment reduce the effects of a drought. 

OPEN CHANNELS OR DRAINS. 

The drainage of large level sections of land, such as the sub- 
merged areas on the bench, level and the bottom lands along the 
river valleys, require the construction of large open ditches. 



DRAINAGE OF FARM LANDS — M'DANIEL. 5 

These should follow, as nearly as practicable, the natural course 
of the drainage of the land, which is usually a dry run or 
"draw," or a flowing water course. Since the slope of the land 
is usually so slight, these water courses are shallow and winding 
in their course, and must be enlarged in size and straightened in 
alignment in order to provide suitable capacity and discharge of 
the water drained into them. 

Open drains are often an inconvenience in that they divide a 
section of land into irregularly shaped plots, and also 
take up land which cannot be devoted to any other purpose. 
However, these ditches are necessary to provide sufficient out- 
lets for large quantities of water, which may be discharged into 
them from tributary drains and the outlet mains of tile-drain sys- 
tems. Ditches may be of various shapes and sizes, depending 
on the amount of water to be carried, the character of the soil, 
shape of the ditch, method of construction, etc. The side slopes 
in clay and loam may be made at an angle of forty-five degrees 
with a horizontal or a slope of one to one. If sand or gravel, 
this slope must be increased to that of one and one-half horizon- 
tal to one vertical, and in the case of very loose running soil, to 
a slope of two horizontal to one vertical. 

CONSTRUCTION OF OPEN DITCHES. 

The method of excavating an open ditch depends upon a 
number of conditions, peculiar to each particular case. The size 
and character of the drain, the character and condition of the 
soil, the location of the proposed work and the availability of la- 
bor and machinery, all go to determine to a greater or less ex- 
tent, the method and appliances to be used in the construction. 
The following methods are commonly employed: 

(a) By team and scraper. 

■(b) By capstan plow. 

(c) By floating dipper dredge. 

(d) By dry land dredge with scraper buckets. 

(e) By dry land dredge of elevator type. 

(a) This common method of moving earth can only be used 
where the ditch has rather flat sides slopes, is not deep and runs 
through dry soil. For small ditches, from three to five feet in 



6 



UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA. 



depth, and having a bottom width of not less than four feet, 
such as are often constructed as an outlet drain for several adja- 
cent farms, this method is practicable. The farmers interested 
may co-operate and do the work themselves or let the contract to 
some disinterested farmer. The cost of excavating- a drain by 
this method, under ordinary conditions, will vary from ten to six- 
teen cents per cubic yard. 

(b) In recent years, the construction of small outlet drains 
and laterals through flat, wet land, is being made largely by the 
so-called capstan plows. It is an immense plow mounted on 
trucks and excavates by cutting straight through the soil and 
throwing the earth out and away to each side. As the plow 
moves ahead, the earth thrown up is pushed three or more feet 
away from the sides of the excavation by large wings, project- 
ing backward and outward from the rear of the plow. The ex- 
cavated material is thus left in even, continuous banks on each 
side. The depth of the ditch may be varied one foot by means of 
a large screw which raises and lowers the plow on the trucks. 




J^/al Sector? of Ca/>s£i>? f/ou/ £)'%;4> 



The machine is moved forward by two capstans, each anchored 
ahead of the plow and connected to it by wire cables or ropes. 
A team of horses is connected to and turns each capstan. There 
are two sizes of these excavators generally used in this and 
neighboring States; one which makes a ditch two feet wide on 
the bottom, two to three feet in depth and six to eight feet on top, 
and another larger machine which makes a ditch having a bottom 
width of three feet, a depth of from three to four feet and a top 
width of from nine to eleven feet. The ditch is usually clean cut 



DRAINAGE OF FARM LANDS — M'DANIEL. 7 

and has side slopes of nearly one to one. Fig. 1 shows a cross- 
section of a typical ditch. Contractors usually do the work for 
from eighty cents to one dollar and a half per rod, depending <>n 
the size of the ditch. Where the soil is wet and the surface has a 
uniform slope, this method can be satisfactorily used for con- 
structing small ditches. However, for uneven ground and deep 
ditches, it fails in being unable to excavate the bottom of the 
ditch to a true and uniform grade and the resulting drain is too 
shallow for under-drainage. 

(c) Where large areas of flat, low, wet lands are to be 
drained, such as we have along the river bottoms in the southern 
and eastern counties, and in the so-called dry lake beds in Clark, 
Kingsbury and Codington counties in this State; the construction 
of the large outlet channels is most economically and readily 
made with the floating dredge. This consists of a rectangular 
shaped hull or boat built of heavy timbers and carrying in the 
rear the boiler and swinging and hoisting engines. On the front 
end of the boat is the boom or crane carrying the dipper and dip- 
per handle. The dipper on the lower end of the dipper handle 




£>y /^/oaT^Tt? £>//>/>€/- ^r-ec^&< 



is raised and lowered by the motion of the dipper handle be- 
tween the two sections of the boom, which is swung from side to 
side by the swinging engines. The dipper has a capacity of from 
three-quarters to two and one-half cubic yards, depending on 
the size of the dredge. Spuds or anchors, one on each side near 



8 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA. 

front end of the boat and one in the middle of the rear end, hold 
the boat steady while the boom is being swung about. Such a float- 
ing dredge begins work at the upper end of the ditch and requires 
sufficient water to float it as it excavates along on its course down 
the ditch line. A three and one-half yard machine at work 
in Illinois is shown in Fig. 2. This machine will excavate ditches 
varying in width from fifteen to seventy-five feet, and in depth 
from three to fifteen feet. The section of ditch which a floating 
dipper dredge will excavate is somewhat the form of the letter 
U as shown in Fig. 3. It is impossible for an excavating machine 
of this type to make side slopes less than one-half horizontal to 
one vertical and true and uniform. Neither can it dig true to 
grade. The sides will be more or less rough and irregular 
and the grade of the bottom of the ditch will vary from three to 
twelve inches below the true grade. The contractors usually 
excavate the ditch larger and deeper than required so that when 
the low places are filled in by the deposition of silt and fine de- 
bris, the ditch will acquire a uniform cross-section of at least the 
capacity required by the specifications. The form of the ditch 
after a few seasons of erosion and weathering is shown in Fig. 
4. The cost of excavation depends on the amount of yardage and 




/^/a^- Sect/or? of f/jc/fay Ore eye, 
Oiib t? after- <sros/o/7 ar?d ^eatyer/f.y 

conditions, and varies from seven to fifteen cents per cubic yard. 

(d) The scraper dredge of the Page bucket type consists 

of a hull or boat with machinery similar to that used on a floating 

dredge. On the front end of the boat are two booms or cranes, 












3 

> 

a 
1-1 

SB 

arc? 



<*5 






5 & 



■V ' 




„ i ■■' 



DRAINAGE OF FARM LANDS — M'DANIEL. 9 

one mounted at each corner and, in this case, the bucket or scraper 
moves along the boom and draws the excavated material out 
of the ditch prism towards the boat. The boom is then swung 
out of the ditch line and the material deposited in a spoil bank 
along the sides. One scraper is usually excavating from the 
ditch prism, while the other is depositing its load on the spoil 
bank. The dredge begins operations at the lower end of the 
ditch and works away from the excavation. The boat moves 
along on rollers which run on large planks. It can dig efficiently 
in firm and hard material, but work in wet and marshy soil re- 
quires extensive and expensive blocking and bridging to support 
the boat. Also where the ground surface is very uneven, the 
preparation of the roadway for the boat is a source of much 
trouble and expense. This type of machine, therefore, is most 
useful and efficient on flat areas which are fairly dry and firm 
where it can make a ditch with clean, uniform sides and approxi- 
mately true to grade. Where the soil is wet and soft, a floating 
dredge would be the most economical and efficient type of exca- 
vator. There are many land-locked- lakes or basins in this State, 
where the construction of an outlet will require the excavation 
of ditches over twenty feet in depth. This will require a scraper 
dredge with an especially long crane. Such a machine is shown 
in Fig. 5. The machine is pivoted so as to revolve and move 
freely in any position. The boom or crane varies from seventy- 
five to one hundred feet in length, and is made of a steel frame- 
work. The steel scraper can remove from two to four cubic yards 
of material at atime at a depth of fifty feet below the surface and 
then deposit it along the sides of the ditch to a height of about 
thirty-five feet above the surface. In Fig. 6 is shown the scraper 
or so-called drag line bucket excavating a large ditch. This ma- 
chine is very powerful and can dig in nearly any kind of soil and 
under very adverse conditions. 

(e) In the last few years, a type of scraper traction dredge 
built on the elevator principle has come into general use. Two 
scrapers connected together and facing in opposite directions, 
move along a guide frame which is set transversely to the line of 
the ditch and forms the front part of the machine. The scrapers 
move back and forth from one end of the guide frame to the other 
and each time excavate a thin slice of material from the ditch 



10 



UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA. 



prism. As the earth is removed by the scrapers, the frame is au- 
tomatically lowered until the proper depth is reached. The 
dredge moves along on a track composed of a rail set on each side 
of the ditch. It can operate successfully in any but very wet soil, 
where the labor and expense of constructing a suitable track 
would render its use impracticable. The ditch constructed by 
such a machine has true, clean and smooth sides and has a uni- 
form grade, as is shown in Fig. 7 ; the ditch is nearly mechanically 




f^iq.? '" ■Seefior? of £?'&/? ca^sf'-ac'^c/' 



61/ £>r</ /~a'?d' Mt3c/?"7& 



perfect. Fig. 8 shows one of the latest and best types of this class 
of dredge, which is beginning the construction of a wide bottom 
ditch. A similar machine, but excavating a narrow bottom ditch, 
is shown in Fig. 9. 

An excavator of this type works most efficiently upon dry 
soil and where the area to be drained is flat. Work can be done 
on wet land by starting at the outlet and digging up stream, 
although the cost and labor of planking often renders this un- 
economical. Such a machine is not practical in a heavily timbered 
country or where large boulders and ledges of rock abound. 

THE SELECTION OF A DREDGE. 

The cost of construction of a dredge varies from $5,000 to 
.$10,000, depending upon its size and capacity. It is clearly evident 
that a ditch must be of a sufficient size to warrant the use of 
such a machine in its excavation. Where the ditch has a length 



GC 



r 



TO 



M 



n 



to 

p 

td 




- 



> 
a 
<< 




DRAINAGE OF FARM LANDS — M'DANIEL. ' 11 

of less than three miles, and a total excavation of less than 50,- 
000 cubic yards, a dredge cannot be economically used. 

The construction of small ditches, having a width of less 
than fifteen feet on the surface, should be made with a dry land 
or traction machine of the type that will excavate the section of 
the ditch true and even, and its bottom true to grade. This is 
essential in small ditches, as they are apt to fill up with silt, de- 
bris and growing vegetation, and a high velocity is necessary to 
keep them flushed out. Such a flushing velocity can best be se- 
cured by constructing the ditches true as to form and grade. 
Where the open ditches are large, wide and deep, it is not so es- 
sential to construct them true in form and accurately to grade. 
The II form of ditch constructed by a floating dipper dredge is 
often irregular in shape and the grade of the bottom varying. 
However, the velocity of the flow is usually enough to gradually 
fill up the depressions and cut down the projections so that the 
ditch, after a few years, assumes a regular and uniform shape. 
However, a ditch constructed by a machine of the scraper type, 
true to cross-section and grade, will offer less resistance to the 
flow of the water and will require much less maintenance than a 
ditch constructed by a floating dredge. 

The essential consideration in the construction of any open 
ditch is to secure sufficient depth. A shallow ditch will cause the 
water flowing through it to move with a small velocity, and dur- 
ing the dry seasons, the shallow depth and low resulting velocity 
cause deposition of silt and debris and, in time, the ditch fills up. 
Hence a shallow 7 ditch soon after its construction becomes use- 
less for the rapid and complete removal of even surface water. 
An open drain must have a depth of not less than five feet in order 
to serve as an under-drain and remove the sub-surface water. 
The writer has known of cases where a deep open drain has dried 
out marshes and swamps through which it passed, for a distance 
of more than a mile on each side of its banks. The velocity and 
discharge of a ditch vary with the depth and grade. The grade 
should be as large as possible, consistent with the securing of a 
velocity not greater than that which would erode the banks of 
the ditch. In loam and clay soil, such as is generally found in 
the eastern part of this State, the maximum allowable velocity is 
about six feet per second. Where a higher velocity is necessary, 



12 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA. 

the banks should be rip-rapped, concreted or otherwise protected 
to prevent serious erosion. As the depth of water in a ditch in- 
creases, its velocity increases, due to the static head thus gained. 
Thus, if the depth of water in a ditch be increased from one foot 
to eight, the velocity will be doubled. 

To illustrate the construction of a large public drainage out- 
let, the following description of the (lay Creek Ditch is given. 

THE CLAY CREEK DRAINAGE DITCH. 

The location of this drain is a great flat area of bottom land, 
lying between the Missouri and James rivers on the south and 
west and the bluffs or table land on the north and east, in Yank- 
ton and (lay counties of this State. This territory of about 35,- 
000 acres lias a slope to the south and east of about one foot per 
mile. 

The natural drain of this area is a small, sluggish stream 
known as Clay creek, which has never been sufficient to properly 
drain the land. In 1887 the farmers of this district co-operated 
and constructed a small ditch, which used the creek as a basis 
and in as nearly a straight line as practicable, followed the nat- 
ural drainage basin to a point near the outlet of the creek into 
the Vermillion river. This ditch, however, was constructed too 
small in size, and during the past twenty years has been grad- 
ually filling up with fine earth, debris and growth of vegetation, 
so that for many years past it has been useless. During the early 
part of the year 1904, a petition from the land owners of this 
territory was sent to the Department of Drainage Investigations 
of the United States Department of Agriculture, resulting in a 
preliminary survey which was made by a party from this de- 
partment of the government service in August of that year. The 
results of the survey were embodied in a report which showed 
clearly and conclusively that this broad valley could be satisfac- 
torily drained by means of ditches of sufficient size. After con- 
siderable discussion and further preliminary engineering work, 
a majority of the land owners of the district finally agreed upon 
definite action, and under the State drainage law, active proceed- 
ings were begun, under the jurisdiction of the boards of county 
commissioners of Clay and Yankton counties, acting conjointly; 
in the latter part of the year 1907. In February, 1908, the con- 



o 



- 




- 



o 



o 



y. 



crq 



O 




DRAINAGE OF FARM LANDS — M'DANIEL. 13 

tract for the construction of the ditch was let to the Pollard $ 
Campbell Dredging- Company, of Omaha, Neb. During May and 
part of June, 1908, the writer, assisted by two of his students, 
made the location survey and designed the ten steel bridges for 
the road crossings. 

The contractors began the erection of two floating dipper 
dredges about the middle of March, 1908. One was erected at the 
head of the ditch and the other about half way down the ditch 
line. The material was shipped by railroad to the nearest sta- 
tion and hauled by wagon to the site, where it was erected on the 
banks of the creek by a force of about eight men to a dredge. 
The lower dredge had a larger boat or hull and a longer boom 
than the upper, on account of having the larger end of the ditch 
to excavate, but the dippers on both dredges had a capacity of 
one and three-quarters cubic yards. House boats were constructed 
first before the erection of the dredges and were used through- 
out the entire work as homes for the men employed on the 
dredges. These were large, rectangular, flat bottom and two- 
story boats. The lower story served as a dining room, kitchen 
and storage room, while the upper story served as a bed room. 
Fig. 10 shows one of the house boats used on this work. The 
upper dredge began actual excavation during the latter part of 
July, 1908, and worked steadily until the early part of January, 
1909, when the severity of the cold weather prevented further 
operations. The lower dredge, on account of delays in its con- 
struction, lack of water, etc., did not begin operations until the 
middle of September, 1908, and shut down for the season at the 
same time that the upper dredge did. Operations were again re- 
sumed by both machines during April, 1909, and the ditch was 
finally completed in January, 1910. Each dredge was run by two 
shifts of five men each, working twelve hours in each shift, with 
regular intervals for meals. While one shift worked the other 
slept on the house boat. Fig. 11 show r s one of the dredges in op- 
eration. Sundays were spent in general repairs on the dredge 
and for rest and recreation. Six tons of coal per day, on the aver- 
age, were necessary to feed the boilers for the necessary produc- 
tion of the steam power. While working uniformly and without 
serious accidents or delays, each dredge excavated 60,000 cubic 
yards each month. The ditch has a length of slightly more than six- 



14 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA. 

teen and a half miles and a bottom grade averaging about one 
and one-half feet per mile. The cross-section varies uniformly 
from beginning to the end ; at the beginning the width at the bot- 
tom is about thirty feet and thirty-eight feet at the top, with a 
depth of about nine feet; while at the end the width at the bot- 
tom is about forty-two feet, and at the top about fifty-six feet; 
with a depth of about thirteen feet. This gives a trapezoidal 
cross section with side slopes of about one-half to one. Fig. 10 
shows a typical view of the completed ditch. The average ve- 
locity of the water flowing through the ditch when the latter is 
about three-quarters full, is approximately four feet per second, 
or nearly two and three-quarters miles per hour. This is suffi- 
cient to ensure the proper flushing out of the ditch and, on the 
other hand, not large enough to erode the banks. 

The cost of excavation was eight cents per cubic yard, and 
as 1,071,674 cubic yards were taken out by the dredges, this 
means a total cost of $85,734.00. Legal, engineering and inci- 
dental expenses connected with the proceeding brought the aver- 
age cost per acre up to about $12.00. 

Already, at the time of writing this bulletin (March, 1910), 
the indications are that this ditch will successfully furnish a direct 
drainage outlet for 35,000 acres of low. wet land, and indirectly 
drain about 40,000 acres more lying to the north on the table 
land in the northern part of Clay county. Thus has been com- 
pleted the first step towards the reclamation of a vast area of for- 
merly low, wet, and practically useless farm land, which, by the 
construction of suitable laterals and sub-drains, can be brought 
into condition for intensive cultivation. 

PUBLIC DRAINAGE PROCEDURE. 

The drainage of a farm or plot of ground by one interest or 
person can be done independently and at the pleasure of the owner. 
However, if we have a number of such farms whose drainage 
systems must have outlets, then the matter becomes one of co- 
operation and, therefore, of public concern. In order to facilitate 
the legal and just co-operation of land owners in the construction 
of a common outlet drain, this State has through its legislature, 
formed a drainage law. The following are the steps to be taken 
to secure the construction of a drain under the State law: 



DRAINAGE OF FARM LANDS — M'DANIEL. 15 

1st. A petition for a drain is filed in the office of the county 
auditor. 

2d. The board of county commissioners acts upon the peti- 
tion, views the proposed route with the State engineer, and if 
deemed advisable, orders an examination and survey made by a 
competent engineer. 

3d. Examination and survey made by engineer who submits 
plans, report and estimate to the board of county commissioners. 

4th. The board of county commissioners considers the en- 
gineer's report and supplementary report thereon from the State 
engineer. The county auditor advertises for a public hearing. 

5th. Public hearing at which the board of county commis- 
sioners listens to the objections of land owners and grants or re- 
jects the petition ; thus rejecting or establishing the drain. If 
the petition is granted damages are determined upon and an en- 
gineer appointed to make final survey and plans and specifica- 
tions for the drain. 

6th. Public hearing at which benefits are equalized and 
steps taken to assess cost of work to the district to be benefited 
by the drain. 

7th. At a public meeting of the board of county commission- 
ers, bids for the construction of the drain are received, opened 
and considered. The contract is usually awarded to the lowest 
responsible bidder. 

8th. A suitable method of financing the work is determined 
upon by the board of county commissioners. If necessary, bonds 
are issued and either placed with some bonding house or turned 
over directly to the contractor in payment for his work. 

9th. The construction of the ditch and the final acceptance 
by the board of county commissioners on the recommendation of 
the engineer. 

10th. The construction of laterals, if necessary, to furnish 
complete drainage for the district. 

11th. Maintenance of the construction work. 

Fig. 12 is a diagram of the South Dakota Drainage Law, show- 
ing the procedure necessary for co-operative drainage. 



10 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA. 

THE BENEFITS RESULTING FROM DRAINAGE. 

"The soil is the farmer's best capital." He has come into his 
ownership by various means : inheritance, gift, or most likely, 
through the medium of exchange. He must depend upon it en- 
tirely for his future sustenance and welfare. It is clear that his 
success and prosperity depend upon the intelligence and industry 
which he exercises in the disposal and development of this 
capital. 

There was a time about a couple of centuries ago when the 
farmer cultivated only in a crude, unintelligent way that part id' 
his land most suitable for his various crops. Now, however, with 
the wonderfully rapid development of this country, land is be- 
coming scarce and more valuable, and these great areas of unde- 
sirable and neglected land must he used. Every acre of such land 
in an unfilled condition, means to the farmer to-day, just so much 
dormant, unproductive capital ; every year during winch it re- 
mains unproductive, it represents to the land owner a loss of 
taxes and the interest on his money invested. 

A large, swampy piece of land is a blot on the landscape, a 
source of ill health, and perhaps of calamity to the people in the 
adjacent communities. This has been well illustrated in the 
southeastern part of this State, during the last two years, by the 
epidemic of anthrax. The farmers of Clay and Yankton counties 
have lost a large number of valuable horses and cattle which rep- 
resents the loss of thousands of dollars. If this same money had 
been wisely expended years ago in suitable drainage, this calam- 
ity could have been averted. These low. wet. swampy areas are 
ideal breeding places for germs and their carriers of the most 
malignant and destructive character. 

In the early part of this bulletin it was pointed out that the 
large sections of land throughout the eastern half of this State 
requiring drainage were natural basins or low, swampy land, 
lying on the table land or the great stretches of so-called bottom 
lands lying in the river valleys. Lower levels of this character 
of land are usually covered with a thick growth of marsh grass, 
reeds, cane and rushes; while the higher levels are generally used 
for pasture or hay land. However, on account of periodical over- 
flows, these higher areas are often rendered useless even for the 






BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 



Cov/yfj/ J?vd/7~or as?d Dr-a/sraGeTf? ,= <~ n/~r/ I 



> 



Keb 



D?a7k E/?fr 



T 



T 



® ® ® 



orA 



//?& o/ 



D/Srrj/5S or - 



t 






Eq o/// <3 a7/or> 



£-s7ab//s/? 



Dife/? 

For?c/ 



Es7~"*?a7e5 



C/rcu/T 
(ZourT 



\ 



% 



X 






% K 



@® @®@ © ® © © © @ © 

\>0 ,J 






I 







is 

v 



/Descr-/^>7 c /o/p> 

o/^XD/Zc/? arret! 
Terr '7or~ 2/ 



/Q osyq? 



£z/?£7//7eer 






A/of'ce of 



/vof/ce o/ 



•5z/rfey 



/-e?y Tap. 



Enq/^?eer- 















Sc/b-d'ra"7S 



AREA TO BE DRAINED 



■■'»•"■■ - ■ 



/.ats of <5oo#?> /Da/Cafe- 



DRAINAGE OF FARM LANDS — M'DANIEL. 17 

raising of hay crops. It is a well known fact that all of this low, 
wet land is of a highly fertile nature, there being a surface soil 
of rich loam of varying depth from three to six feet, and under- 
laid by a sub-soil. As has been suggested already under "Theory 
of Drainage," it is absolutely necessary to remove the surplus 
water from these level and wet lands in order that germination 
and the proper growth of vegetation may take place. It is just 
as necessary that the plant life shall have opportunity to breathe, 
as it is that human beings may be provided with necessary air for 
complete respiration. Every farmer also knows that his land 
must be thoroughly dry in order that he may have suitable access 
to it with his machinery for seeding, cultivating and harvesting. 

I do not believe that there is a single farmer or land owner in 
this State, who would not agree with the writer in the statement 
that these low, wet lands are the most fertile of any in this great 
and prosperous commonwealth and should be properly drained. 
The only reason for hesitation in the prosecution of such work is 
the lack of past experience and present knowledge concerning this 
character of land improvement. However, this drainage work is 
not new and untried, as is shown by the great work done in the 
past to reclaim the fens of England, the marshes of Holland, the 
swamps of southern Italy and the great areas in Illinois, Minneso- 
ta, Louisiana, Arkansas, Iowa, and many other of the States of 
our nation. It is certainly just as feasible and practicable to 
drain 400,000 acres of wet, swampy land in South Dakota, as it is 
to build roads or make any other necessary improvements in the 
community. 

The engineering problems connected with drainage are usual- 
ly simple in character. Most of the areas needing drainage lie 
several feet above the mean low water level of some natural water 
course, which can be straightened, widened or deepened to af- 
ford sufficient outlet. In some cases it may be necessary to build 
levees or dykes to prevent the overflow of natural water coures. 

The most important consideration as regards drainage to the 
farmer who has such improvement under consideration, is the 
matter of the cost of the proposed work. He desires to know 
whether the results to be derived from the drain will pay for the 
expense involved, and as a matter of business sense, has the right 
to know this before beginning the actual work. For such infor- 



18 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA. 

mation, let us consider the results of similar work in this and 
neighboring States. Where large areas of swamp lands have 
been thoroughly drained by open ditches and tile drains, the cost 
varies from six to thirty-five dollars per acre, while in places 
where tile drainage is not required, the cost will average about 
eight dollars per acre. From a thorough investigation of the cost 
of this work throughout the country, it would seem that a cost of 
twenty dollars per acre would lie a safe average estimate for a 
complete and thorough drainage of the low. wet lands of this 
State. The market value of such land varies from ten to forty 
dollars per acre, depending upon the location and character of 
drainage, with an average value of about twenty-five dollars per 
acre. Similar lands in neighboring States, when thoroughly and 
properly drained, have sold for from sixty to a hundred and fifty 
dollars per acre, and when near large cities, have sold for as high 
as four hundred dollars per acre. 

Now, let us consider as to whether it will pay the people of 
South Dakota to drain over 400,000 acres of low, wet land. 
('ash value, after thorough drainage at $60.00 per 

acre $24,000,000 

Present value of this land at $25.00 per 

acre $10,000,000 

Cost of drainage at $20.00 per acre 8,000,000 

Total value of land and cost of drainage 18,000,000 

Net increase in value due to drainage $ 6,000,000 

Thus it will be seen that by drainage, the State would be en- 
riched by $6,000,000, and each farmer benefited has at once in- 
creased his capital stock by an amount equivalent to fifteen dol- 
lars an acre. This increase would be immediate, while past ex- 
perience in other States show us that future and larger increases 
in the value of land would quickly follow its improvement. These 
figures are not imaginary or mere guess work, but are based on 
results obtained in all sections of this country where drainage has 
been carried on. There are several cases in the southeastern part 
of this State where a complete drainage of the land has, within 
one year, enhanced its value from seventy to one hundred per 
cent. 



DRAINAGE OF FARM LANDS — M'DANIEL. 19 

The early work in this State has often times been improperly 
planned and poorly constructed, and as a result affords inade- 
quate and incomplete drainage. This means a loss of time and 
money which is entirely unnecessary and hard to estimate. The 
hoards of county commissioners of the various counties of this 
State where drainage is necessary, should not be content with the 
services of a surveyor unless he is a competent man with several 
years' experience in this class of engineering work. The services 
of a competent engineer should always be secured, and prefera- 
bly a man with good experience in this particular class of work, 
in order that the county board may derive suitable and valuable 
information from him concerning the proper design and construc- 
tion of the proposed drain, the proper damages to be allowed and 
suitable assessments to be made. 

The faculty of the College of Engineering of the University 
desires to be of service to the people of the State. In this spirit 
this bulletin has been published and distributed. Anyone desir- 
ing information on engineering matters is invited to direct their 
inquiries to the Dean of the College, L. E. Akeley; Professor of 
Mechanical Engineering, M. W. Davidson ; or Professor of Civil 
Engineering, A. B. McDaniel. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



000 936 618 % 



Entered at the Postoffice at Vermillion, South Dakota, 
as Second Class Mail Matter. 



